Lanyard handle, method of and apparatus for forming same

ABSTRACT

An improved handle for a lanyard for operating the capsule containing compressed gas mounted on a manifold for use with an inflatable article such as a life vest, life raft, and the like, a method of and an apparatus for forming such lanyard handle and securing it to the lanyard cord. The handle is made of plastic material which is molded in place upon the lanyard cord in such manner as to key or mechanically connect the handle to the cord without the use of any added fastening means.

Oct. 14, 1975 LANYARD HANDLE, METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR FORMING SAMEPrimary ExaminerBenjamin W. Wyche Assistant ExaminerFrank H. McKenzie,Jr. Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Alfred W. Vibber [76] Inventor: Glenn H.Mackal, 83 Chestnut Ridge Road, Saddle River, NJ. 07458 [22] Filed: Nov.5, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 412,637

ABSTRACT An improved handle for a lanyard for operating the RelaledApplication Data capsule containing compressed gas mounted on a manifoldfor use with an inflatable article such as a life life raft, and thelike, a method of and an apparatus for forming such lanyard handle andsecuring it to the lanyard cord. The handle is made of plastic materialwhich is molded in place upon the lanyard cord in such manner as to keyor mechanically connect the handle to the cord vvithout the use of anyadded fastening means.

Ma 15% 3 1 7 7G22 9 .50; 1 mm n f m m N06 M WR R a w m 0 ""56 M NW4 3 ammm N mm" "aw 68 "m W mum m Q n 0 .m a 0 .5 .wo DN ui n l. 1]] 2 2 8 6555 [[rlL 5 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures [56] References Cited UNITEDSTATES PATENTS 3,l35,l3l 6/1964 64/2 R US. Patent Oct. 14,1975 Sheet 1of2 3,911,762

Illlllllllllllll US. Patent Oct. 14, 1975 Sheet2of2 3,911,762

LANYARD HANDLE, METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR FORMING SAME Thisapplication is a division of application Ser. No. 344,749, now US. Pat.No. 3,809,288 filed Mar. 26, 1973.

This invention relates to an improved handle for a lanyard for operatingthe capsule containing compressed gas mounted on a manifold for use withan inflatable article such as a life vest, life raft, and the like.Although in its broader aspects the invention is not limited thereto,the invention is illustrated herein in connection with its use with a Cinflation manifold assembly for use with an inflatable article such as alife vest, life raft, and the like.

It is among the objects of the present invention to provide an improvedhandle upon a lanyard cord, an improved method of mounting a handle uponthe lanyard cord, and a novel and improved apparatus for forming thelanyard handle and securing it to the lanyard cord.

The above and further objects and novel features of the invention willmore fully appear from the following description when the same is readin conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is to be expresslyunderstood, however, that the drawings are for the purpose ofillustration only, and are not intended as a definition of the limits ofthe invention.

In the drawings, wherein like reference characters refer to like partsthroughout the several views:

FIG. 1 is a view in elevation of a manifold according to the presentinvention, an inflatable body on which the manifold is mounted beingshown fragmentarily;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary view in longitudinal section through the centralpart of the lanyard handle, the lanyard cord being shown in elevation,the section being taken along the line 22 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a view in elevation of one-half of a plastic materialinjection mold for forming a lanyard handle in accordance with theinvention and for securing it to the lanyard cord.

In FIG. 1 there is shown a manifold and check valve assembly sealinglymounted upon a panel of an inflatable article. The sleeve-like main body11 of the check valve passes through and is sealed to a mounting flange12 made of elastomeric material which is heatsealable to the panel 10 ofthe inflatable article. The sleeve-like body of the valve and its mannerof connection and sealing to the mounting flange may be the same asthose shown and described in application Ser. No. 218,669, filed Jan.18, 1972 now US. Pat. No. 3,754,731, of which the present inventor is acoinventor.

The illustrative inflation manifold has a passage extending therethroughtransverse to the broad extent of the manifold, the passage having aflat side on the bottom thereof as it is shown in FIG. 1. Thesleeve-like body 11 of the valve, which has an external configurationcomplementary to the cross-section of the passage, extends through suchpassage and is sealingly held therein by a cap nut screwed onto thethreaded outer end of the body 11, there being suitable washersinterposed, on the one hand, between a flange adjacent the inner end ofthe body 11 and the body of the manifold, and, on the other hand,between the cap nut and the body of the manifold on the other sidethereof.

The embodiment of manifold shown in the drawings has a body generally inthe form of a thick disc having parallel front and rear sides, parallellongitudinally spaced ends 29, 30, and upper and lower surfaces 25, 26,respectively, of oppositely convex, part-circular cylindrical shape. Atits left-hand end as it is shown in FIG. 1, the body of the manifold isprovided with means for threadedly receiving the threaded neck of a C0cartridge and sealing it to the gas-conducting chamber inwardly of thebody of the manifold. It is to be understood that the capsule has asealing disc of soft metal spanning its neck, such soft metal seal beingadapted to be pierced when required, whereby to release the gas from thecapsule so that it flows into the chamber in the manifold body through apassage therein and thence through an exit passage into the longitudinalbore in the valve body 11 through a radial passage therein.

The soft metal seal of the capsule 32 is pierced, when it is desired toinflate the inflatable article, by means including a cam lever in theform of a bell crank lever 40 having an elongated lever arm which liesgenerally horizontal (FIG. 1) when the lever is in retracted,inoperative position, and a generally vertical, shorter arm having a cam39 on its lower end. The lever 40 is pivotally mounted upon a transversepivot pin 42 which extends from one side of the manifold body to theother and spans a narrow, longitudinally extending leverreceiving slotwhich extends longitudinally of the body of the manifold at the topthereof and downwardly along the right-hand end of the manifold body.

Reciprocably and sealingly mounted in a circular cylindrical bore inbody 22 forming a prolongation of the chamber therein is a needleplunger, the enlarged outer end or head of which is in the form of a camfollower. The plunger is constantly urged to the right into engagementwith the cam 39 by a coil compression spring which acts between the headof the plunger and an annular shoulder at the left-hand end of thechamber in body 22. Coaxial of the plunger and forming a part thereof isa capsule seal-piercing needle, the sharpened left-hand end of which isspaced from the seal at the end of the neck of the capsule 32 when thelever 40 is in its retracted, inoperative position, as shown in FIG. 1.

When it is desired to release the gas from the capsule 32 in order toinflate the inflatable article, the lever 40 is swung clockwise aboutits mounting pivot shaft 42 until the high point of the cam 39 haspassed through the position in which it engages the high point of thecam follower on the end of the head of the plunger 41. This causes thepiercing needle first to be thrust to the left against the opposition ofthe spring 48 sufficiently to pierce the seal in the neck of the capsule32, the spring thereafter thrusting the plunger to the right as the highpoint of its cam follower end travels downwardly on the cam 39 on lever40, thereby to open the hole made in the soft metal seal in the neck ofthe capsule 32 by the needle. Such swinging of the lever 40 isaccomplished by pulling a handle 45 on a lanyard cord generallydesignated 44, which is secured to the outer end of the longer arm ofthe lever 40, by a sleeve-like means 46 in the direction to the right inFIG. 1. The handle 45 is symmetrical about its longitudinal axis, havingsimilar wings projecting in opposite directions from an axiallyextending circular cylindrical portion 84.

Provision is made for securing the lever 40 in the position of FIG. 1 bya wire seal (not shown) of small gauge which extends through a hole inlever 40 and passages in body 22 extending inwardly from oppositelydisposed aligned recesses 51 therein. Such seal prevents the unwantedmovement of the lever 40 in a seal-piercing direction, but may readilybe broken by a deliberate, fairly strong pull exerted upon the handle 45of the lanyard. The body 22 of the manifold is also provided at itsupper left-hand corner (FIG. 1) with a broader recess into which theouter free end of the lever 40 protrudes, recess 50 receiving the innerend of the cord fastener 46, thereby allowing such fastener to overliethe portion of the body of the capsule 32 adjacent its neck so that it,the lanyard cord, and the handle 45 are generally out of the way untilneeded.

The bight of a loop 64 in the lanyard cord 44 extends through a hole inthe ,outer end of the longer arm of lever 40, the two parallel portions65 of the cord passing through the fastener 46, which is in the form ofa flattened sleeve. Such sleeve is simultaneously crimped transverselyat a longitudinally central position and two longitudinally spaced outerzones, the sleeve also being simultaneously deformed into a broadV-shaped portion. This may be done, for example, by engaging the sleeveby two longitudinally spaced, transverse dies which engage the sleevenear its outer ends on its lefthand surface to form indentations inouter zones of the sleeve, while a movable transverse die engages thecentral portion of the sleeve at its right-hand side to formindentation, simultaneously thrusting such central portion of the sleeveas a whole to the left.

As a result of such deformation, not only is the sleeve tightened veryforcibly upon the runs 65 of the cord 44 at the crimped zones, but, uponthe imposition of a pull on cord 44, the force with which the centraldeformed zone of the sleeve engages the runs of the cord is increased.Thus the sleeve fastener 46 retains the cord 44 so securely that thereis no possibility of slippage of the cord in the fastener under anyservice condition, no matter how severe.

In FIGS. 2 and 3 there is shown a portion of an injection mold which notonly forms the lanyard handle 45 but simultaneously connects it to thelanyard cord 44. In FIG. 3 there is shown a mold half 74 in which thereis formed a cavity 75 which, together with a confronting identicalcavity 75' in a similar confronting mold half 74 (FIG. 2), defines thehandleforming cavity of the mold. Centrally of the cavity 75 in the moldpart 74 there is formed a lanyard cord-receiving channel 78 which has atransverse shape of one-half circular cylinder, channel 78 cooperatingwith a similar, confronting half-circular cylindrical channel in theother mold half. A supply of lanyard cord is provided at the left-handside of the mold half 74, the lanyard cord 44 entering the mold througha guide means 76, which cooperates with a similar guide half in theother mold part. A plurality of longitudinaly spaced parallelcord-flattening pins 80 are affixed to the mold half 74 centrally of themold cavity 75 therein. The pins 80 cooperate with similar, alignedconfronting pins 80 in the other mold half 74 as shown in FIG. 2. Thepins 80, 80' are spaced longitudinally of the central portion of thecavity which is of circular cylindrical shape, there being two oppositewings 85 extending from a' generally circular cylindrical portion 84,and a bordering thickened rim on the resulting lanyard handle 45, asshown in FIG. 1.

The lanyard cord 44' in this instance is made of braided nylon filament,which is somewhat slippery and is ordinarily difficult to secure in amold handle without the provision of bulky, unwanted fastening means.The use of the mold of FIGS. 2 and 3, however, produces a connectionbetween the cord 44 and the handle 45 which exceeds the requirementsimposed by commercial specifications for such article. The opposed pins80, 80 strongly compress the lanyard cord 44 between their confrontinginner ends when the mold is closed, as shown in FIG. 2. When the plasticmaterial which is to form the handle 45 is injected under high pressureinto the cavity 75, the portions 89 of the cord 44 which lie between thesets of opposed pins 80, is relatively undistorted and thussubstantially retain their initial diameter. At the zones of transitionbetween the larger diametered portions of the cord 44' and the flattened portions 87 between the pins 80, 80', there are formed inwardlyextending, relatively sharp lips of plastic material which tend endwiseto restrict and partially to enclose the larger diametered portions ofthe lanyard cord within the handle. Not only that, but the pins 80, 80'form holes 86 in the portion 84 of the handle which communicate with theflattened zones 87 of the lanyard cord. Upon the solidification of thehandle 45 and the opening of the mold 74, 74', the portions of thelanyard cord at the zones 87 tend to expand into such holes 86 and thusstill further key or mechanically connect the lanyard cord to thecentral portion 84 of the handle. The portion of the cord 44 whichprotrudes outwardly beyond the larger end of the handle 45 may be thencut off, as by a hot wire cutter.

The body 22 of the manifold 14 may be made of any strong, durable, andimpact-resistant material; as noted, it is preferably made as anintegral molding of plastic material. Among plastic materials useful forthis purpose are acetal resins, sold under the trade name DELRIN byDupont, and polycarbonate resins, such as those sold under the trademarkLEXAN by General Electric Company. The lanyard handle 45 may be made ofany suitable strong, tough plastic material such as nylon.

Although the invention is illustrated and described with reference to asingle preferred embodiment thereof, it is to be expressly understoodthat it is in no way limited to the disclosure of such a preferredembodiment, but is capable of numerous modifications within the spiritand scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. The combination comprising a pull cord and a pull handle connectedthereto, the handle being made of plastic material and being moldedabout the cord along the length of coterminous portions of the handleand cord, spaced zones of the cord within the handle having two oppositesurfaces of the cord flattened, the handle having holes thereinoverlying said two opposite sur faces of the cord at said spaced zones,the plastic material at the boundaries of said zones having lip portionsextending radially inwardly toward the axis of the cord .endmechanically keying the handle to the cord.

2. The combination. according to claim 1, wherein at the said zones onlysaid two opposite surfaces of the cord are flattened and free of plasticmaterial, the remainder of the surface of the cord within the handlebeing engaged by and mechanically bonded to the plastic material of thehandle.

3. The combination according to claim 1, wherein the cord is formed ofmulti-filamentary material.

4. The method of forming a handle of plastic material and fastening itto a pull cord, comprising extending a length of cord across a moldhaving a handledefining cavity therein, at spaced intervals along thelength of cord in the mold cavity compressing it and thus deforming itgenerally diametrically, and while the cord

1. The combination comprising a pull cord and a pull handle connectedthereto, the handle being made of plastic material and being moldedabout the cord along the length of coterminous portions of the handleand cord, spaced zones of the cord within the handle having two oppositesurfaces of the cord flattened, the handle having holes thereinoverlying said two opposite surfaces of the cord at said spaced zones,the plastic material at the boundaries of said zones having lip portionsextending radially inwardly toward the axis of the cord end mechanicallykeying the handle to the cord.
 2. The combination according to claim 1,wherein at the said zones only said two opposite surfaces of the cordare flattened and free of plastic material, the remainder of the surfaceof the cord within the handle being engaged by and mechanically bondedto the plastic material of the handle.
 3. The combination according toclaim 1, wherein the cord is formed of multi-filamentary material. 4.The method of forming a handle of plastic material and fastening it to apull cord, comprising extending a length of cord across a mold having ahandledefining cavity therein, at spaced intervals along the length ofcord in the mold cavity compressing it and thus deforming it generallydiametrically, and while the cord is thus deformed injecting plasticmaterial under pressure into the mold cavity and about the locallydeformed cord to form a handle and to bond the handle mechanically tothe cord.
 5. A method according to claim 4, wherein the localcompression of the cord is effected by opposed core members in the moldwhich mask the cord from the injected plastic material at the zones ofthe cord which they engage.